A few years ago I read Harry Thompson‘s splendid novel This Thing of Darkness, an historical epic that followed the life and career of Charles Darwin, his voyages on the Beagle and his relationship with its captain, Robert FitzRoy. Penguins Stopped Play is a very different book, the last book that Thompson wrote before his death from lung cancer. We are used to humourous travel books that are informed by a central concept – Tony Hawkes and his fridge have a lot to answer for – and the concept here is Thompson’s ambition to play cricket on all seven continents of the world (including Antarctica, hence the penguins of the title). Unlike many similar books, the concept does not feel forced or imposed – as a long-standing team captain of a village cricket team, the Captain Scott Invitation XI, the idea of a cricket tour sounds like a natural extension of their previous forays overseas, and it doesn’t feel like it was organised purely to provide material for the book.

The first thing to say is that Harry Thompson was a very funny man – as someone who grew up with The Mary Whitehouse Experience, and who remembers back to the early days of Have I Got News for You and They Think It’s All Over, all shows he either wrote or produced, I hardly needed proof of his comedy credentials, but he flashes them on every page anyway. First and foremost, this is a very funny book about what happens when a bunch of fallible men set off on a rather ambitious venture based on their shared love of (but not necessarily aptitude for) cricket. Pen portraits of fellow players and descriptions of events both on and off the pitch are infused with a wry wit, and there was plenty to make me smile throughout. Particularly scorching treatment is reserved for British Airways, ‘organisers’ of the team’s round-the-world tickets – they scarcely need any help making themselves seem ridiculous, but Thompson throws in some digs anyway!

The second thing that shines through is Thompson’s genuine love of cricket – despite his own limitations as a player (he is an opening bat and part-time slow bowler), and his woeful form on the tour, he still enjoys the games against a range of sides, all of whom ignore the fact that ‘this is just a village team’ and field teams stuffed with ringers, county pros and even a Test batsman. The Captain Scott team even have to play the national team in Malaysia, though it’s the weaker Tuesday team!

If, like me, you like a laugh and love your cricket, I promise you will enjoy this book; the poignancy of the ending ultimately makes this feel more substantial than the usual funny travel-writing fare, and I felt a genuine sense of sadness at Thompson’s death, at the age of only 45.

Bookmark to